CWC-TAC recommends techno-economic viability nod for Sitarama LI, Sitammasagar projects

HYDERABAD

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Project Appraisal Organisation in the Central Water Commission (CWC) chaired by Secretary to the Ministry of Jal Shakti Debashree Mukherjee, which met in New Delhi on Thursday, has recommended the techno-economic viability clearance to the Integrated Sitarama Lift Irrigation and Sitammasagar Multi-purpose Project.

According to officials of the Telangana government led by Principal Secretary (Irrigation) Rahul Bojja who attended the meeting, the TAC has considered the techno-economic viability clearance in respect of the detailed project report of the integrated Sitammasagar and Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project.

Chairman of the CWC Mukesh Kumar Sinha, other officials from CWC, NITI Aayog, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Tribal Affairs attended as members of the committee. Engineer-in-Chief G. Anil Kumar, Superintending Engineers S. Srinivas Reddy (Kothagudem), S. Vijay Kumar (Inter-State) and other officials of the Irrigation department attended the meeting from Telangana.

The TAC approval of the major multipurpose project is a step forward in its completion and realisation of the intended benefits. The estimated cost of the integrated project is ₹19,954 crore at the price level of June 2023. The project is planned to utilise 67.05 tmcft of Godavari water for a total ayacut of nearly 7.88 lakh acres and hydro-electric power generation of 282.8 megawatt for most of the year.

Officials of the Irrigation department stated that the ayacut included creating new irrigation potential of 4,15,621 acres in Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Khammam and Mahabubabad districts and stabilising another 3,72,068 acres of existing ayacut under Nagarjunasagar and Wyra and Palair projects and other minor irrigation schemes, which too are supplemented water by Sagar. The project would also provide drinking water to a large number of villages in the three districts.

The lift irrigation project would have 11 pump houses with a total of 757 MW capacity pumps. The Sitammasagar barrage to be constructed 200 metres downstream of the existing Dummugudem Anicut in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district would have 67 radial crest gates in six blocks, it runs for a length of 1,332.75 metres and would have storage capacity of 36.57 tmcft.

The hydro-electric project at the barrage would have 7 units of 40 MW capacity each and one unit of 2.8 MW capacity. The physical progress of the project made so far is 57% with an expenditure of ₹11,320 crore till January this year. The government is planning to complete it by the commencement of 2025-26 Rabi season.